Hovnanian Enterprises

2017 Performance Final Grade: 57.15/100
2016 Final Grade: 70.0/100
C-/B-

20.95/40

Change YoY
Net debt-to-capital 119.3% 2,380bps
Pretax home building income
(in millions)
$36.6 -53.4%
Total SG&A/Total revenue 12.6% --
Total SG&A
(in millions)
$291.8 2.4%
Return on invested capital -27.8% -2,950bps
Return on equity -117.2% -12,690bps
Total shareholder return 26.9% --
EPS -$2.46 -2842%

14.29/20

Change YoY
Community count 140 -17
Share of lots optioned to total controlled 54.9% 14.2%

11.43/20

Change YoY
Home building gross margins 17.6% 170bps
Sales per month to break even
(per community)
1.94 --
Revenue per employee
(in millions)
$1.2 -12.6%
Change YoY
Closings 5,337 -15.7%
Sales velocity
(per community per month)
3.0 -0.5%
Unit backlog 2,004 -11.8%


Total revenue (in millions):$2,316
HB revenue (in millions): $2,210
Debt per share: $10.79
Equity per basic share: $3.32
HB pretax margin: 1.6%
Backlog value (in millions): $814.4
Inventory (in millions):$1,053.5
Lot supply (in years): 4.7

Hovnanian (NYSE: HOV) is still digging out from the high-interest debt it took on after the housing crash. It decreased its community count in 2017 as it exited four underperforming markets and converted wholly owned communities into joint ventures. It paid off $320 million of maturing debt and is now focused in 2018 on pushing notes due over the next five years into the 2040s. Amid this, it improved gross margin percentage and contracts per community as 2017 closed.